I loved one of Dave’s shirts (actually I think I got it for him) and he didn’t love it as much. So when he put it in my “reuse or give away” pile I just knew I had to make it into something.
Started with a men's button down shirt and matching knit fabric (in this case, an oversized t shirt I got on clearance at Target or somewhere)
First I cut off the sleeve. It was stretchy in the correct direction and it was so big that I knew it would fit a kid's waist. Or cut a 10" (non stretchy way) x 20" (stretchy way) rectangle of fabric and sew it into a tube along the shorter side.
Fold the tube in half so one side is a fold and the other side is two edges.
This will be the waistband of the skirt.
Next we tackle the button down shirt. I just line a quilting ruler up under the sleeves and slice.
All sliced with my handy rotary cutter!
Run around the top edge with the longest machine stitch to make a quick gather.
Pull on one of the threads and even out the gathers. It shouldn't be as small as the waist because it still needs to pull on, but just gather enough so it's evenly distributed around the waistband.
The sleeve was actually too BIG for a child's waist so I had to cut off some of it and re-sew the seam. While I was at it I unpicked the hem to get a bit more length for the waistband. Ready to sew on the skirt!
Place the waistband around the skirt so the 2 raw edges of the knit piece line up with the gathered edge of the skirt.
Mark in halves or quarters with pins.
Sew or serge, stretching as you go to make sure there is room to pull it on without breaking threads.
And... done!
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That’s really cute Sarah. Miriam looks so proud too š
Clever! I love your creativity.
Very boho!
That’s SUPER cute. I think I like the print better for a skirt than a shirt too.
It’s cute, and I agree with the previous commenter that the print is better suited for a skirt anyway! Great job. Miriam looks happy with it too. š
Fun and looks really easy! I ADORE Miriam’s hair. I think Margaret will soon have that cut as well as long hair isn’t really working out for her (or me!).
We were just talking about making a swirly skirt this way ( using a sheet for the base) for my oldest who is bigger than I am but at 13 still wants to dress young. And this is just what I was thinking for the top– so that is awesome!
I know we are not related by blood, just as in-law cousins, but we certainly seem to share a sewing gene! The last few years I have been doing recycling sewing, too. I made Audrey’s stained shirts into sets of napkins using the unstained parts and keeping the sleeve plackets for that “ha-ha” look. I had previously turned a former mini skirt of hers into placemats (and sewed the labels onto the backs for the funky effect) and made the top of a favorite middle school dress into a hanging holder for table linens. I turned a former Laura Ashley lace dirndl skirt of hers into a silver lame lined trumpet shaped cocktail length skirt for me. Since last Fall I have been sewing Memory Bears for a local hospice. These are made from items of clothing from their deceased relative that the family provides to hospice…and seamstresses turn into teddy bears to love and to help remember the departed relative. In between, former curtains from my sewing room became napkins to go with the table cloths I sewed for the porch of our new apartment overlooking the Mediterranean Sea in Israel. The current curtains in my sewing room used to be a linen tablecloth. I also made Audrey a vest out of a pair of her wool pants…and made a hat for myself from the leftovers, incorporating back welt pocket and belt tabs into the design. For years, I’ve had a clothespin bag hanging on the back porch that I made from an old pair of jeans; the pockets hold clip-ons and the body holds regular ones. Your skirt from shirt and tee shirt looks adorable! Keep up your clever work. Love, Cousin Marsha
Those all sound amazing! I especially like the idea of turning a loved garment into a teddy bear or stuffed doll. That sounds so much more doable-useable than the option of turning several such items into a quilt. Must file that idea!!
very hip. Brown + paisley are two faves of mine š